Zelensky Demands 'Specific Date' For EU Accession, Spooking Brussels
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday issued a statement demanding that the European Union lock in a "specific date" for Ukraine’s formal entry into the bloc.
But this is a tall order given Ukraine remains among the world's most corrupt countries, study after study has shown. "Ukraine will do everything to be technically ready for accession by 2027," Zelensky said. "We will at least accomplish the main steps. Second, I want a specific date. I am absolutely confident that if in the agreement... there is no date, then Russia will do everything to block the process."
The current draft US-led 20-point peace plan makes mention of Ukraine's accession in 2027, even while most EU officials warn privately that it will in reality take at least a decade of reforms and monitoring.
As for EU fears of rushing in a country which isn't ready, which could open the flood gates for other bad and hasty admission decisions, the following headline says it all: EU 'membership-lite' plan for Ukraine spooks European capitals.
The report describes:
Brussels is drafting proposals to tear up the EU accession system used since the cold war, replacing it with a contentious two-tier model that could fast-track Ukraine's entry in any peace deal to end Russia's invasion.
The overhaul plan under discussion at the European Commission, while preliminary, is already unsettling EU capitals alarmed at an "enlargement-lite" approach with sweeping implications for the union, according to seven senior officials involved in the talks.
Zelensky in his Wednesday remarks further spelled out that he'll reject any peace deal involving the US, Russia, and Europe if it fails to set a date for accession.
"This ... is about security guarantees, security guarantees for Ukraine," he said. "These are specific details, with a specific date. And my signature today, on the 20-point plan, the plan to end the war, guarantees Ukrainians that there will be a specific date for our accession."
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly warned against fast-tracking Ukraine, recently saying that admitting Ukraine by 2027 would be "an open declaration of war against Hungary."
Orban has actually insisted that Ukraine never join the EU, after the country formally applied for EU membership in February 2022, days after the Russian army crossed the border to initiate Putin's 'special military operation'.